And thanks to Prairie Life Fitness in West Des Moines, one of our awesome sponsors, we are going to hold it there. (Click here for a map.)

It will run from 2 to 6 pm... to allow for plenty of dreaming!

And as always... it will be FREE to attend and it will offer everyone a safe, fun and encouraging place to dream and connect!

Mark your calendars and please tell your friends!

We can't wait to dream BIG with you!

Stay tuned for a more updates on the gathering and news on your fellow BIG dreamers.

Keep dreaming BIG!

Mitch Matthews

He's bold.  He's brash.  He's usually mad at something.  But he pushes people toward excellence and he's funny as he does it.  Yeah... love Tom.

If you haven't read much of his work... you should check him out. 

And here's a way to do it for FREE!

He's publishing a new book called, The little BIG things.  163 ways to pursue excellence.

Tom's team made the first section of the book available.  And it's free!  It's not the whole thing but it's more than Amazon or Barnes and Noble will give you!  So click here to download the PDF. 

That way... you can apply some of Tom's little BIG things to your BIG dreams!

Enjoy!

A friend recently reconnected us with the poetry of Shel Silverstein... and I'm so freakishly grateful. 

I came across a poem this weekend called simply... "Invitation"

If you are a dreamer, come in.

If you are a dreamer, a wisher, a liar,

A hope-er, a pray-er, a magic bean buyer...

If you're a pretender, come sit by my fire,

For we have some flax golden tales to spin.

Come in!

Come in!

For me, that's the perfect invitation to the BIG dream gathering! 

Which are you?  I'm thinking on any given day I could be any and all of them.  How about you?

Well... no matter what... consider yourself invited to the next BIG dream gathering.

Stay tuned because we are going to announce all of the specifics tomorrow!

Need some inspiration on a Friday?  Try this out.

Okay... so this is the picture of what can happen when people are willing to write down their BIG dreams AND when others are willing to lend a hand!

Here's the story...

A student came to the BIG dream gathering at the University of Northern Iowa last month and wrote down a number of BIG dreams. 

She dreamed BIG and she got specific!

One of her dream sheets explained that she wanted to travel to Zimbabwe and connect with a specific ministry there. 

She said, "To see the work that they're doing with the church they've created there."

Now, keep in mind... this was at a BIG dream gathering in little ol' Cedar Falls, Iowa. 

So, writing down a dream about going to visit a specific ministry in Africa felt like a long shot!  

But... get this... someone that saw the dream... knew the family behind that ministry!  Not only that but they reached out to the family for this BIG dreamer!  They explained that this student wanted to come to visit them and in her words "See how God was moving in Zimbabwe."

Well... the family responded! 

Not only did they say that this dreamer would be welcome to come visit... but they let her know that an anonymous donor from their ministry was willing to cover her room and board while she was there!!! 

How amazing is that? 

So think about it... a UNI student had enough guts to write down a specific BIG dream... even though it seemed a little crazy and outlandish!  Then... someone in the room in Cedar Falls, Iowa not only knew about the ministry but knew the family behind it and was willing to reach out to them.  AND someone on the other side of the world believed in the dream enough to say they would cover this students living expenses while they came to visit?!?!

What are the chances?!?  (NOTE: I'd say that prayer helped to increase the "odds" on this one.  Wouldn't you?)

So... yeah... we are celebrating today!  That's just cool. 

At this point... I can't share names yet... because the details are still getting worked out... but we'll keep you in the loop as this story plays out!

What might happen?

What might happen if you were to dream a little BIGGER today?  What if you got specific?  What if you were willing to put it out there to a few people? 

What might happen?

What might happen if you asked someone about their BIG dream today?  What if you were able to help them... with a connection... an idea... or an encouraging word? 

There's a good chance it would only take a few minutes of your time... but it could make all the difference!

Keep dreaming BIG,

Have you ever had someone close to you tell you that you can't go after a dream?

Maybe they were trying to protect you from getting hurt. 

Maybe they were afraid you'd move away if your dream happened.

Maybe they were a little scared that your dream would change their world?

Whatever the reason... when someone tries to shut down a dream... it's usually not with horrible intentions... but it can have horrible consequences.

No matter what... you've got to protect the dream...

How can you do it?

Here's one way...

What if you surrounded yourself with at least 2 or 3 people who believe in your dream too? 

I do this.  First of all, my wife is hugely encouraging of my dreams. 

But I also meet with 3 like-minded guys from the business world every other week.  (Some call this a "Mastermind Group")

We push each other, we laugh a lot and we encourage each other.  I'll admit that it's tough for all of us to block out this time in a busy schedule but it has been so worth it... especially when life hits the rough patches!

Who are 2 to 3 people in your life who you could meet with on a regular basis... with the intent purpose of encouraging each other to be more of who you were created to be? 

The cool thing is that you don't need to be similar to these people.  In fact, it might be helpful for you to be from diverse backgrounds and different from each other. 

The key is that you are like-minded in your purpose for gathering on a regular basis.

Think about it.  Be intentional about it.  Experiment with it.  (Know that it might take some time to get the right group of people.)  But know that when you do... it can make all the difference!

Join in the conversation... what are some ways that you have found to protect the dream?  Click on comments below and let us know.

If you're a friend of the BDG on Facebook, you can get a sneak peek today.  (Click here to check it out!)

We can't wait to have another opportunity to dream BIG and connect with all of you... VERY SOON!

Stay tuned!

Intrigued?

Check out her BIG dream... in her own words.

So... do you know someone that could help Brittany out?

Do you have some ideas for scoring a great PR internship?

Do you have some encouragement for Brittany?

Just click on "comments" below and let her know!

And Brittany... know that we believe in you and your BIG dream!  We can't wait to see it happen!

Intrigued?

Check out Emma's BIG dream... in her own words.

Now... how about clicking on comments below and shooting a little encouragement her way?

Maybe you have an connection for her... again... just let her know!

Or maybe you've got some ideas for her... join in the conversation... and leave a comment.

Lastly... thanks for dreaming BIG Emma!  We believe in you and can't wait to see this BIG dream happen!

Chris was one of our amazing dreamers that attended the BIG dream gathering at the University of Northern Iowa...

Check out his BIG dream... in his own words...

So if you have connections with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital...or you have suggestions for funding or a place to stay... OR if you just want to let Chris know that you like his BIG dream and believe in him... click on comments and let him know.

NOTE: Chris did let me know later that St. Jude is located in Memphis, TN... I sooooo shouldn't have put him on the spot like that!?!?!

At the new year, an exceedingly good friend of mine wrote me a letter.  In it, he included a poem by Marianne Williamson which is often misquoted as being from Nelson Mandela's inaugural address...

What if we took this in today?

Who are you to be?

What if you let your light shine just a little bit more today?

What if by doing that... you helped someone else to shine a bit brighter today too?

What if you took a step towards breaking free of one fear today? 

Who else might be set free in the process?

What would you do... and how would you do it... today?